Dear Writer: Show Your Uglies please…

You’ve been taught all your life to keep those hidden right? I’m talking about that part of you that sane people wouldn’t like. Your anger, your sadness, your weird ticks, your—paranoia.

People won’t like them. They’ll think you weird. You can’t write about that.

Wrong. The very best of books have characters with really strong uglies – think Gone Girl. The book was brilliant. Why? Because she reached very deep within her mind and chose to expose a very sinister thought or idea in words. She didn’t stick to the mainstream ideas that appease our sense of modesty, or social correctness. Don’t get me wrong here…writing an ugly thought doesn’t mean you are that kind of person. Nope. Not even close.

Everyone, and I mean EVERYONE gets angry, gets sad, thinks morbid thoughts, or obsesses about something ridiculous. Those are human traits and often, a highly intelligent person will have more extreme ideas and thoughts than others.

These are things that make for an interesting story so …write the uglies. Be creative with them. That’s what makes the best fiction.